


It's Christmastime, Justin Jensen!

by RealDaveofDaves



Series: The Maze of Moments - A Clay and Justin Story [12]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Brothers, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Family, Family Fluff, First Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-24 14:30:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17102357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealDaveofDaves/pseuds/RealDaveofDaves
Summary: In which it is Justin's first Christmas with his new family





	1. Black Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it is the day after Thanksgiving - Black Friday! And Justin has to work....

_Christmas time is here_  
_Happiness and cheer_  
_Fun for all that children call_  
_Their favorite time of the year_

\- from "Christmas Time is Here," by the Vince Guaraldi Trio and as featured in "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

 

**Friday, November 23, 2018 - 4:30am**

Yawning, Justin Jensen, slowly and as quietly as possible, walked downstairs. It was Black Friday, the traditional start to the Christmas shopping season, and he had been scheduled for an early shift at the Walplex. Owing to the start of the school year back in August and then basketball season, he was now even more of a part-time employee, but would work a couple of shifts a week and pick up extra ones when he could, including today. Thankfully his managers were understanding about a more restrictive schedule than the summer months, and he proved to be a dependable worker. Thanks to the encouragement and advice from his adoptive parents and brother, he had been careful with his money and had saved up quite a bit, and that was going to be very important over the next few weeks. For the first time, he had a true family and close friends to buy gifts for. True, with his birth mother, Amber, he would on occasion borrow a small amount from Bryce Walker to get her a little something. But it just never felt right, having to borrow from a "friend" (if Bryce was ever truly that to begin with) in order to buy a Christmas present. And, it was just one more thing Bryce could always subtly bring up every so often, either to mock or as a reminder of where Justin's place in the pecking order was. More than that, past Christmases lacked the joy and warmth that the season brought. Much like Thanksgiving, there were arguments and unpaid bills, abusive husbands and boyfriends, strategic retreats to the Walkers and looks of disapproval and disdain from Nora Walker. He was the outsider then.

But that was _then_.

The day before, his first Thanksgiving with his new family, had been full of that warmth and love he had so often craved and too often had sought out in other ways. There was a house full of family and friends, amazing food, laughter and happiness. Even a rather large dog - a "puppy," Clay had called Tank. So, while he was not exactly thrilled to be awake, barely, with the sun not even up, he was looking forward to this first Christmas as the New Justin, and everything that would come along with it.

Having made his way downstairs, and yawning again, he was about to grab his jacket from the front hall closet when he noticed the lights in the kitchen on, and smelled freshly brewed coffee. Surprised that he was not the only one up this early, he turned and walked into the kitchen, where Lainie was pouring said coffee into a thermos.

"Mom?" he said softly, so as his voice would not carry upstairs. "What're you doing up?"

Stifling a yawn herself, Lainie had put the carafe back and was now closing up the thermos. "Morning, honey. There's a container with leftovers on the table. You'll want to microwave them for about two minutes and see if they're hot enough. If they're not, one more minute should do it. Make sure to put them in the refrigerator right away when you get to work. I didn't put any cream in this, you'll probably need it black."

Justin smiled as he picked up the tupperware. "Mom, it's so early...you didn't have to do this."

"Oh, I know it's early, trust me. And I'm going right back to bed after you leave, believe me. There's plenty of gas in my car, so don't worry about stopping to fill up." Lainie came over and handed Justin the thermos, kissed him on the cheek and walked him to the front door. "Have a good day today, and don't let them drive you too crazy. We'll see you tonight for dinner. It'll be leftovers again, unless you want someth-"

"Mom," he interrupted while putting on a light jacket, "the leftovers are perfect. Thank you. I really appreciate this." Kissing her cheek and giving her a quick hug, he was out the door, not even noticing the lights inside turning off as Lainie went back upstairs. With a smile still on his face and some sleep remaining in his eyes, he could hear a few cars in the distance, along with a couple of birds chirping. But other than that, this early morning was dark and still. Quiet.

Unlike the experience that was to come.

 

* * *

 

Once he parked the car and walked towards the employee entrance, Justin saw exactly what he was in for this day - a line of people stretched from the locked front doors all the way back to the far end of the parking lot, near a couple of restaurants.

"What the actual fuck?" he muttered.

The side door was for employees only, and after punching in the code and walking in, he dutifully put his lunch in the break room refrigerator, just as Lainie had instructed.

"You ready, Jensen?"

That was still taking some getting used to, being called 'Jensen.' There were times, for example, when he heard that in the halls of Liberty High, he assumed people were calling for Clay, and it would inevitably take him a second or two to realize that, no, they were referring to _him_. His basketball teammates never seemed to miss an opportunity to playfully needle him about it, wondering if he was in the wrong place - this was basketball, after all, not cross country, they'd joke - and he went right along, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. Zach would occasionally bring out his nickname of "Little Jensen" if there were times at practice, for instance, where he was getting winded or needed a break. But, he took it all in stride as they were all genuinely happy for him, and to have their co-captain back on the squad.

Plus, 'JENSEN' written out in Liberty blue on the back of his jersey looked pretty fucking amazing.

Turning to his friend and co-worker, Chad - a student at the local college - he shook his head. "I mean, I guess I am. There were a fuck ton of people out there...but, it's just shopping. I mean, how bad could it possibly be, right?"

Chad laughed. "Dude...you have no idea, do you? Man, this is my fifth Black Friday, and I'm _still_ not used to it. Okay, so best thing to do is just keep smiling...pretend to be happy, even if you're not...and stay out of their way when you can. Where are you today?"

"I'm a floater. I think I'm going to be in toys, first," Justin replied while putting on his vest.

"May God have mercy on your soul."

"Yeah, yeah. See ya at lunch."

"Good luck!"

Walking through the back halls of the store, he made his way out through some double doors and over to the toy department, joining a couple of other co-workers.

"Good morning, sunshine!" another co-worker and one of his favorites, an older lady named Debbie, greeted Justin with a smile as he came over. "All set?"

"As all set as I'm going to be. Why is everyone acting like this is, I dunno...the end of the world or something? What's the big deal?"

"Oh, sunshine. You really have no idea."

The public address system came on, and through the crackle, the store manager's voice was heard.

"All right team...everyone should be in their places. Here we go! In five...four...three...two...one!"

Justin braced himself...and then. Nothing.

At first.

"See?" he said, turning to Debbie and grinning. "No big...wait. Does that...do you hear a train?"

What Justin mistakenly thought was a train was, instead, the rumble of several dozen pairs of feet running towards the toy section. Debbie smirked as the grin on Justin's face disappeared and he slowly turned his head in the direction of the sound.

"Aw, shit..." he said under his breath, eyes wide, as the first of roughly fifty to sixty people came closer....

 

* * *

 

"I need a Nintendo Switch!!"

"Um...that's over in electronics, ma'am, with the other..."

"WHAT?! Why isn't it here??"

"Because...this isn't electronics?"

"Well! _You_ should have them over here instead!"

Justin was about to say something in reply amidst the swarm of people surrounding him, a finger wagging in his face, when several other customers with questions pushed closer.

"Don't Step In It!"

"What?" he looked down. "Step in what, ma'am?"

"The game!"

"Oh...games are two aisles over that way...."

"Why aren't the Nintendo Switches over here in toys! You'd think they would be!"

"Umm...ma'am, like I said before, they're over in electronics, where we have that and..."

"Where are the Fingerlings!"

"Um...the potatoes? Sir, grocery is on the opposite side of..."

"No, Fingerling Hugs!"

"Oh! Uhh...stuffed animals are on the back aisle..."

"...considering this is only _the_ game system to buy this year, the Switch should be..."

"Ma'am, if you'll just go to electronics..."

"Are you out of the Barbie Dreamhouse _already_?!"

"Uh....I'll...see if we have anymore in the back, ma'am..."

"I have to have two LOLs!"

Confused again, Justin turned to his left at another customer. "You...have to have what now?"

Thankfully, Debbie had come over to the rescue and raised her voice some, so as to be heard over the din. "The L.O.L. Surprise is on an end cap three aisles over and we have plenty of them in stock!"

Hearing this, numerous customers went rushing away, except for the one who was still scolding Justin about the lack of the Nintendo Switch in the toy section.

"...and _another_ thing, since those are in such high demand, you'd think _you_ would have them in multiple locations! I want to speak to a manager..."

"Honey," the no-nonsense Debbie said, hands on her hips. "I _am_ the manager of this department, and this young man told you three times now that the stupid thing is in electronics. Or, _might_ still be, considering how many of you people are in here shopping this morning!"

"I...I have to get one!" the customer shouted, running off to electronics.

"Having fun yet, sunshine?" Debbie asked with a smile.

"Jesus Christ! And we haven't even been open five minutes! Please tell me this gets less stupid!"

An overly excited child came running by, only to stop and throw up on Justin's shoes, before he kept on running.

Jumping back, too late, Justin closed his eyes and sighed. "That's karma for doing that on Clay's shoes..." he said to himself.

 

* * *

 

Just after eight that morning, Clay had woken up and made his way downstairs.

"Morning, dad."

"Hey, kiddo, good morning. Coffee is warmed up, and I'll start making eggs here in a couple of minutes."

"Warmed up? I don't remember us making any last night," Clay replied as he took a mug out of the cabinet.

"We didn't. Your mom got up to make some for Justin before he left for work."

"Ah." He was now pouring coffee into the mug. "How long does Justin work today?"

"Five to five, twelve hour shift."

"Yikes." He took a sip and thought for a moment. "Hey...so, are we going shopping today?"

"Oh, good grief, no. If anything your mother and I will go out tomorrow after your meet. Why?" Matt was now cracking eggs into a bowl.

"Well, maybe I'll go out by myself then. Stop by the store and see how he's holding up," he smirked.

"Now, Clay. Be nice to your brother."

"Okay, seriously? When am I not?"

Matt slowly turned his head and looked over his shoulder.

"Okay, so this time will be the exception...."

 

* * *

 

It was now just after ten, and Justin had been pulled to electronics with Chad, where they were restocking games as quickly as they could.

"This is insane!"

"I tried to warn you," Chad replied. "Fortunately it starts to settle down around now."

"Thank goodness....hand me that stack of Mario Kart...."

"But it picks back up again right around lunch."

"Wonderful..."

"Excuse me," the same customer from earlier interrupted. "Did you _finally_ bring more of the Nintendo Switch out here so....oh. It's you."

"Umm....hi. Yeah, so, we're still out," Justin explained from his position, kneeling in front of a shelf as he looked up at her. "But we have another truck coming this afternoon, and it might be..."

"UGH! Fine! I'll come back!" The very disgruntled woman turned on her heel and stormed off.

"Fan of yours?" Chad asked.

"Something like that, yeah..."

 

* * *

 

 

Having sent some quick texts, Clay picked up Sheri and Alex and was now driving to the Walplex.

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Alex asked from the back seat.

"Because," Clay explained, holding Sheri's hand with his free one, the other on the wheel, "it's Justin's first Black Friday and we should show up to...support him. Give him a little encouragement."

"You just want to make fun of him," Sheri laughed.

"That, too. And I figured while we were there, maybe we could look at some of the stuff on sale, get some ideas for presents for people."

"Okay, yeah," Alex nodded. "I need some help there, for Cyrus and Zach."

"Done." Clay parked and the trio entered a very busy store, just past lunch time. They took it a little slow, owing to the fact that Alex still had a slight limp to his walk.

"So, where do you think he is?" Alex asked.

Clay scanned the store quickly, as customers hurried back and forth, pushing carts full of items and dragging unhappy children or spouses along. "Not sure....he usually works back in toys and electronics, but...aha, there he is."

Justin had now been moved to a cash register, and was scanning and ringing people up as quickly as he could, looking somewhat like he had been run over by a truck. Or people.

"Stay here for a second," Clay smirked as he walked around to the check outs. Looking around, he grabbed three candy bars and waited in Justin's line, patiently making his way up.

"Excuse me, sir, but I need to return these things."

Justin glared at his brother. "Very funny, bro. S'up?" he asked as he scanned the candy and bagged it.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing. Alex and Sheri are with me. Having fun?" Clay grinned.

"$4.12 Yeah, loads of fun. Some kid puked on my shoes earlier."

"Karma."

"Exactly."

Clay handed over a five dollar bill. "You get a break anytime soon?"

"Had one before I was moved up here, you just missed it," Justin made change and handed the eighty-eight cents over.

"Well, we're gonna look around and we'll come back through. See ya in a bit."

Nodding at his brother as he moved forward, the next customer in line stepped up. "Excuse me, do you know if you got anymore of the Nintendo Switch....oh my God, really? You again?"

"Hi again, ma'am. The truck hasn't gotten here yet."

"UGH!"

The three friends made their way through the store. Clay pointed out a video game on his list ( _Destiny 2: Forsaken_ ), while Alex figured Cyrus would appreciate _Spider-Man_ for the Playstation. That sort of miffed Clay, since it wasn't available for the Xbox, and after all, that was one of his favorite characters, and, as he explained, he did dress as the superhero for Halloween and it sucked that it was only for one system and not both. Sheri rolled her eyes and shook her head at hearing this minor dissertation.

As they were making their way back up front, Justin was walking quickly towards them.

"Hey...everything all right?" Alex asked.

"No! I've been sent _back_ to toys!" Justin answered as he rushed past his friends.

"Poor guy," Sheri said. "I feel kind of bad for him...all these people in here, and it must have been absolutely crazy earlier."

"You know, I really wanted to make fun of him more....but now?" Clay replied.

"Well. You're a good brother for not doing so," Sheri punctuated her statement with a kiss on Clay's cheek, making him blush some.

"I was gonna say I really, really want to make fun of him," Clay laughed.

"Anyone want to go to the plaza?" Alex asked. "Better stores and all?"

"Yeah...I'll meet you guys up front," Clay said as he walked back towards the toy section.

"Clay? Be nice," Sheri called after him.

Clay looked over his shoulder and grinned. "Just one time...that's all. Meet you up front."

Turning the corner, he saw Justin surrounded once more by a swarm of people, including the Nintendo Switch lady, who was standing there with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. Looking up, he saw Clay and shook his head as his brother laughed a little and watched the madness unfold.

Clay approached slowly.

"Excuse me, sir? Where are the action figures?"

"Clay, so help me...."

 

* * *

 

Finally, five o'clock came. 

He'd been yelled at, shoved and jostled around, been thrown up on, and once during his shift cashiering, someone had thrown a ham at him.

Exhausted, he said his good nights to co-workers and made his way up front, walking slowly. He nearly made it to the doors, when a familiar voice was heard from behind him.

"Young man!"

Turning around, he saw his favorite customer that day.

"Oh...hi, ma'am. I'm glad I ran into you on my way out. Can you come with me?"

The lady looked confused, but followed Justin up to the customer service desk.

"Hey, Cindy? Hand me that package I left here a couple hours ago, would you?"

Taking the box from the customer service associate, he handed over a Nintendo Switch. "Here you go. I left a note back in electronics, just in case you came back this evening."

"Finally! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Merry Christ..."

But before he could finish, the woman had ran off in the direction of the checkouts.

"Long day?" Cindy asked with a laugh.

"Very. Night, Cindy."

Arriving home, Justin more or less dragged himself into the house and collapsed on the couch next to his brother, who was catching up on episodes of "The Flash."

"You never did tell me where the action figures were, you know."

Justin leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.

"Did you get any of the Marvel Legends in? I really want a Black Knight figure. You know, if you loved me, you would..."

"Clay," Justin interrupted without opening his eyes. "I do love you. And that's why I'm going to hold back from punching you right now. Just....let me sit here. In quiet. Please."

"Okay, okay," Clay laughed. "But just think...a little over a month of shopping days left until Christmas!"

Justin groaned and sunk further into the couch.

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Mazers!! Welcome back!! I missed you all!
> 
> Apologies for the very long pause there, but the end of the semester was wrapping up, and Ye Writer was swamped with all of that nonsense. But! Never fear, I have returned, and winter break is upon us! Which means all kinds of Mazeverse goodness!
> 
> Following my Thanksgiving story (you did read it, right? you did? good!), it was pretty obvious that a Christmas story would be the logical follow up, and so here we are! This is the first of three chapters, detailing Justin's first Christmas with his new family and his friends. 
> 
> I made what I thought would be a throwaway comment in that story about Justin having to work on Black Friday, but my lovely fellow authors Bitterblue33 and Horatiofrog and a few of you indicated that seeing this would be sort of hilarious. Your wish has been granted! 
> 
> Our next chapter will have to do with decorating and shopping, and that should come tomorrow evening. Then, just in time, you all get a Christmas present from Ye Writer, with the conclusion of this story.
> 
> So I hope you liked this one! Be on the lookout for the next two installments. As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback, and many thanks for your kudos!
> 
> Stay tuned! Clay and Justin will return on Monday, December 24! And what's this about a Santa hat and an Elf hat....? Oh, wait. I didn't mention that yet. Until now!


	2. The Missing Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Christmas decorations are put up, Justin struggles with the perfect gift, and a missing piece is sought...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of spoiler-ish things for what's to come in "A Maze of Moments - Book Two" coming Spring 2019!

  

_Candles in the window,_  
_Shadows painting the ceiling._  
_Gazing at the fire glow,_  
_Feeling that gingerbread feeling._

_Precious moments, special people,_  
_Happy faces, I can see_

_Somewhere in my memory,_  
_Christmas joys all around me._  
_Living in my memory:_  
_All of the music, all of the magic_  
_All of the family, home here with me._

 - "Somewhere In My Memory," by John Williams from the movie "Home Alone"

 

 

It was now the week after Thanksgiving, and the Jensen home was slowly being transformed via numerous Christmas decorations. Lainie had begun to put various knick-knacks on display in the living room, but other items reflecting the season began to show up in the kitchen and bathrooms. Justin discovered this one evening, as red bath and hand towels with Christmas trees on them had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Christmas themed coffee mugs, featuring Snoopy putting up a tree with the help of Woodstock, were now being used. The dining room suddenly had fake boughs of holly strategically placed in it, and the table had red and green plate runners. Like so much else since he became a part of the Jensen family, it was a bit overwhelming to Justin, and the first couple of days he had to stop every so often to take it all in. That Wednesday night, for instance, he stood in the living room as Matt and Lainie carefully unwrapped and began to set up little buildings and accessories from Department 56 which would make up the Christmas village that would be on display.

"Hey, bud. Want to help?" Matt asked when he turned around and saw his adopted son standing in the doorway.

"Is that...I mean, can I?" he responded, somewhat shyly.

"Of course, come on in. Take a look at these. We've been collecting them for years now."

Lainie opened a box and smiled. "Oh, now this one is my favorite. Come here and take a look, sweetheart. It's an old movie theater, like from the 1940s? 'It's A Wonderful Life' is on the marquee. Isn't that just perfect?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "That movie is so overrated."

"It is not! It's uplifting and reinforces the notion that kindness is rewarded by kindness."

"Lane. It's about mediocrity and sameness, and it is not heartwarming whatsoever."

"Um," Justin interrupted, "what's this one?"

Lainie glared at her husband, who simply blew her a kiss and grinned back, before opening up another box. "This little house, I like to think of it as ours, you know? It's not too fancy, not too small...it's just right."

"That's really cool. I mean, it doesn't look like our house exactly, but yeah...I can see where you're coming from," Justin smiled as he knelt down next to his mother. "I like it."

"It is really cute," Matt said, kneeling down next to his son. "There's even three little figurines that are....umm...."

Matt stopped and looked at Lainie, who looked up as well, locking eyes, realization hitting both of them simultaneously.

A confused look came over Justin's face. "What?"

"Nothing...I was just wondering where...the three little figures of the...carolers would go. Hey...is Clay in his room?" Matt asked.

"Last time I checked. Why?"

Lainie nodded at Matt quickly, sensing what he was up to, and her husband got up and began to walk out of the room towards the stairs. "Nothing important, I just remembered I needed to ask him something...help your mom, I'll be right back!"

Justin shrugged and took out another box. "Cool, it's a little diner, just like Rosie's."

"It lights up, also."

As he nodded, Justin looked around the room at everything that had been put up so far, imagining where the tree would go. Lainie had even mentioned something about stockings being hung, even though there wasn't a fireplace.

"Honey?"

"This...this is all..."

She put down the building that had been unwrapped and brought her legs under her. "What is it, Justin?"

"I...okay. So, I know I say this a lot. But it's...a lot to take in. Still. Not in a bad way, though! I mean, I love all of this, I really do. And you and dad and Clay. But..."

Lainie brought her hand up and stroked the back of Justin's head, smiling at him. "Go on. But what?"

"I guess...this Christmas is really going to mean something to me. Maybe for the first time ever? Before...I think I can remember one or two really nice ones with...my mother. Amber. I don't know, I think I'm just super happy is all." He looked up and returned the smile.

"Well I'm glad you are, sweetheart."

"I don't feel out of place this year, if that makes any sense."

"No, it does."

"Good. I'm....this is really special. Uh...can I ask you something? A small favor?"

"Sure, what?"

"When you and dad and Clay were talking about the ornaments for the tree, you mentioned that there were some you don't always put up?"

"Right, we have a lot, and we kind of rotate them every year."

"Okay," Justin nodded. "Um....do you...this is gonna sound super weird..."

"Honey, what is it?"

"Do you have any that are....those little white birds. Doves."

"Yes, we have some. Why?"

"Can I put just one on the tree? For...Amber. When we did decorate, she always liked those, and I thought it might be nice to remember her with just one. But, if you don't want to, I understand! I just thought..."

"Sweetheart," Lainie leaned over and hugged her son. "I think that would be a wonderful thing to do. Of course you can."

"Okay," Justin smiled and closed his eyes. "Thanks, mom. That...means a lot."

 

* * *

 

 

Meanwhile, upstairs, Matt knocked on Clay's door and poked his head in. "Hey...you busy?"

Clay's was at his desk, drawing away, and when he heard his father's voice he quickly put down his pencil and closed his sketchbook before turning in his chair. "What's up?"

"I have a mission for you...this is really important," Matt said as he walked into the room, looking worried. "Very, very important. This could make or break Christmas."

"Okay....you really need to stop being so dramatic at times...."

Matt sat down on the bed. "The Christmas village. The little house. _Our_ house."

"What about it?"

"We have three figurines."

"Yeah," Clay nodded. "I know. Supposed to be you, me, and mom. And? Oh. Oh, hang on. Oh! Ohhhhhh...." His eyes went wide as the realization hit him as well.

"Right. I need you to go find a fourth one."

"Okay, sure. Wait. Why me?"

"Because you pushed off turkey prep on Justin last week, and I overheard you telling him how 'awesome' it would be if he and not you helped me untangle and put up the lights this year."

Clay grinned and scratched the back of his head. "I mean...I'll still help and all...."

"Clay, please. I'd go, but I promised your mother I would help in the living room, and I insulted her favorite Christmas movie just now."

"Ugh, I _hate_ 'It's A Wonderful Life.'"

"Exactly. So, please. Do this for me?"

"Okay, okay. I'll go look tomorrow after school," Clay swung the chair back to his desk.

"How about right now?"

Clay swung it back. "Now? Is it really that importa..."

Matt narrowed his eyes.

Clay stood up from the chair and went to get a pair of shoes from the closet. "You're gonna pay me back, right?"

 

* * *

 

 **Dad:** _Any luck?_

 **Clay:** _Well. There's Harry Potter, but that doesn't really suit Justin. They've got the kid in the pink bunny suit from A Christmas Story._

 **Dad:** _Just a figure of a boy, Clay. That's all._ **  
**

**Clay:** _I'm looking._

 **Dad:** _Look harder!_

 **Clay:** _Dad._

 **Dad:** _Son._

 **Clay:** _Look...all of these are movie characters, this isn't as simple as you think!_

 **Dad:** _All right, just keep trying!_

 **Clay:** _Stores are closing, I'll go right after school tomorrow, okay?_

 **Dad:** _Okay, fine..._

 

* * *

 

The next evening, Clay and Justin had been sent to the attic to retrieve several boxes of lights and the ornaments. Earlier, they had brought down the large box with the tree.

"...I keep telling mom that we need to get one of those tub things. A big red one. Would make it so easy to find. But does anyone ever listen to me?"

"Clay," Justin interrupted. "What would you like for Christmas? From me."

Clay stood up from where he had been hunched over pushing boxes around, and looked at his brother. "Oh. I mean...I don't know, really."

"There's got to be something you'd like."

"Well...I really would like that Black Knight action figure..."

"Clay."

"What? I would."

Justin moved another box and crouched down to push a few more out of the way. "I know you would, but I can't get you just that. I want to get you something....like, special."

"JJ, I really don't know. I've kind of gotten to that age with mom and dad where I get clothes, because I really don't know what to tell them when they ask either."

"That's not a bad thing, your wardrobe could use some updating."

"Oh, whatever, it does not. Look, let me think about it some. What about you, what do you want?"

"Oh." He looked over at Clay. "You know...I don't really know, either? And honestly, you all really don't have to get me anything, you guys have..."

Now it was Clay's turn to interrupt. "Do you really think our mother is going to let that happen? Your first Christmas with us? Trust me, I've heard some of her plans."

"Probably not, no. I dunno...I guess I'm not used to a big deal with Christmas and all."

"Did you not..." Clay paused for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Did you not used to....celebrate?"

"No, we did. Sometimes."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well....I want to get you some special things also. I've already got a couple in the works."

"Dumbass, you don't have to...AHHH!!"

Justin quickly got to his feet and jumped back.

"What the...? What's wrong?"

"That's the biggest fucking spider I've ever seen in my life!"

Clay got up, frowning, and walked over next to Justin. "JJ, it's only a spider, it's not going to....OH JESUS CHRIST!"

"Kill it!"

"No, you kill it!"

"Why me?"

"It saw you first and you're the big brother!" Clay now moved behind Justin.

"Are you seriously hiding behind me? I was going to hide behind you! And you're the older one!"

Clay smacked Justin on the arm.

"You know, from now on, every time you do that I'm going to tell you it gives me a boner..."

"Will you just kill the damn thing already!"

Justin made a face and picked up a box that was next to him and taking aim, dropped it with a loud thud onto the spider, ending the drama. Catching his breath, he looked down and saw the writing on top of that particular box.

"Hey, I found the ornaments...."

 

* * *

 

 

 **Clay:** _Maybe we should go with Harry Potter after all._

 **Dad:** _Clay, how difficult could this be?_

 **Clay:** _Okay, look. Let me take a picture of the display and you tell me how difficult it is..._

 **Dad:** _Huh. Yeah, I see what you mean. Did you try the card shop off the square?_

 **Clay:** _I am in the card shop off the square._

 **Dad:** _Ah._

 **Clay:** _What if we forgo the little figures by the house this year and try again in 2019?_

 **Dad:** _Do you want to explain this to your mother? After the talk last night while he was at practice about how this had to be a special Christmas?_

 **Clay:** _.....I'll go to the mall._

 

* * *

 

The conundrum of what to get Clay for Christmas lingered in the back of Justin's mind for a few days. True, there were a few things he had bought already -  that Black Knight action figure he had brought up now a couple of times, for example. But there had to be something else, something truly special. It was Clay, after all, and when it came to friends and family, Clay was at the top of his list.

Yes, he could just ask their parents, but that seemed almost _too_ easy. No, he was going to figure this out, one way or the other, even if he did need to ask the opinions of a few others along the way:

 

 **Justin:** _Hey, got a question._

 **Alex:** _Sure, shoot._

 **Justin:** _Need a Xmas present idea for Clay. Something special._

 **Alex:** _Huh. Well if you all had Play Station he really wants that Spider Man game..._

 **Justin:** _Yeahhhh....don't have that much cash. Next?_

 **Alex:** _Hang on, let me ask Cyrus..._

 **Alex:** _Okay, so Cy tells me that apparently Clay has gotten into GOT?_

 **Justin:** _Galaxy of Terror? For real?_

 **Alex:** _No, Justin. Game of Thrones._

 **Justin:** _Ohhhh. Okay. Yeah, that helps. Thanks!_

 

Justin frowned. Sure, there was all kinds of things he could get from the HBO series, and as he thought about it, he remembered Clay mentioning that he wanted to read the books. It was an idea, but was it special?

He tried again, this time with Zach:

 

 **#33:** _Yo_

 **#7:** _What's up?_

 **#33:** _Xmas gift for Clay. Special gift. Annnnnd go!_

 **#7:** _Crap. I was gonna ask you what to get him...._

 **#33:** _well shit._

 **#7:** _yeahhhh_

 **#33:** _so he likes game of thrones now_

 **#7:** _yeah? okay, I can work with that_

 **#33:** _no ideas for something really special?_

 **#7:** _'fraid not man, sorry..._

 **#33:** _fuck. ok thanks._

 

Well.

This was not going well at all. Until he remembered that while talking to his parents might be too easy, there was someone else he could talk to....

 

* * *

 

 

 **Clay:** _What about the guy from Christmas Vacation?_

 **Dad:** _Clay, your brother is NOT Cousin Eddie._

 **Clay:** _No, not him. Clark. They have one of him with the chainsaw._

 **Dad:** _....._

 **Clay:** _Yeah, okay. Worth a shot._

 **Dad:** _If you have to drive to Oakland this weekend, I'll cover your gas._

 **Clay:** _Wait!! I think I got it! Oh holy shit this is perfect!! Um, sorry! Sending a pic..._

 **Clay:** _Well??_

 **Dad:** _It doesn't exactly fit in with the others, but you know what? You're right._

 **Clay:** _Okay, great! Thank God._

 **Dad:** _Now, was this that awful?_

 **Clay:** _I went to twelve different stores...._

 

* * *

 

 

"Hey, sunshine! It's your day off, what're you doing here?"

As she always did, Debbie, Justin's favorite co-worker, greeted him with a big warm smile.

"Deb, I need some advice. What do you get an eighteen year old guy for Christmas?"

"An eighteen year old girl," she deadpanned.

"He already has one of those. Wait...." Justin tilted his head. "Is Sheri eighteen?" he asked himself. "Whatever. No, for real. I want to get my brother something really special. I bought him a few things, but I really want something..."

"Special?"

"Yeah."

Debbie put a hand on Justin's arm. "Sunshine," she said softly, "whatever you get him, he's going to love. It's not about _what_ the gift is. That doesn't make it special. What makes it special is who it comes from, and why. That's what this time of year is all about. It's not about Nintendo Switches and all of this other stuff. It's about the people we love, and a reminder of why we love them. Clay knows you love him, and he loves you, and from what you've told me about him, he's going to appreciate whatever you give him. Hell, if you didn't get him anything at all, he'll still love you for being in his life. I mean...you are sort of each others heroes in a way, you know?"

Justin sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're rig....wait. Hold up. What did you just say?"

Debbie put her hands on her hips. "Are you really going to make me repeat all of that great advice I just gave you?"

"No, no...just the last part."

"That you're each others heroes?"

"That's it!" Justin excitedly kissed Debbie on the cheek and turned, running down the aisle. "I'll see you tomorrow, Deb! I've got to go to Moondog's! Thank you!!"

"I'm not even sure what he's thanking me for...." Debbie said to herself, bemused.

 

* * *

 

 

**December 23, 2018**

The annual Jensen Christmas movie marathon, day one, was set to begin, as Lainie brought two large bowls of popcorn into the living room. Matt had pulled out the stack of DVDs and Blu-rays, even 'It's A Wonderful Life,' much to his chagrin, and joined his wife as she came in.

Justin stood staring at the tree, with all of the lights and ornaments, in awe, just as he had done the last several nights now. With a sad smile, he noticed the dove that he had picked out and placed on a branch, and hoped that wherever Amber was, she was happy. Presents were piled underneath and spilled well past the tree skirt. As Matt and Clay had discussed, and Clay had hinted in the attic, Lainie had indeed gone all out.

Clay came down the stairs, a small box hidden in one hand behind his back, and into the room, and stood next to his brother.

"You know, you really were a chubby little kid," Justin said, pointing out once again, just as he had done a few other times, the ornament with a framed picture of Clay at seven years old. "Cute, but chubby."

"Oh my God, shut up, JJ." Clay rolled his eyes before turning to his father and nodding.

"You know what," Matt exclaimed, "we forgot part of the Christmas village!"

Frowning, Justin looked at his brother and then his parents. "We did? But I thought we unboxed all that with mom days ago now?"

"No, we forgot some figures. Here, I went back upstairs and got them out earlier." Matt turned and took a box that he had carefully hidden out from the entertainment cabinet.

"Oh, that's right," Lainie joined in. "It's the figures of us. For our house!"

Justin came over and watched as Matt opened the box and took out three figures - a man, woman and boy - and placed them in front of the small house that reminded them all of their own.

"Oh...I get it," Justin said. "That's you and mom and Clay. Right?"

"That's right," Matt replied with a smile and an arm around his wife. "Right in front of the house, and waiting for Christmas."

Justin nodded. "Yeah...that's...really cool." He sighed quietly to himself, and his sad smile returned.

"Hang on a second," Clay had now came over and joined them. "There's still a missing piece. Here, you should add it, JJ." Pulling his arm out from behind his back, he handed the box to a confused Justin, who opened it.

And took out a figure of a basketball player with brown hair. The jersey even had the number 33 on it.

"Oh...wow. You guys...."

"Go on," Lainie said. "Put yourself next to us."

His smile now much happier, Justin placed the little figure next to the one representing Clay.

"Perfect," Lainie nodded.

"And now the family is complete. Just like ours."

"Yeah," Justin said quietly, blinking away a couple of happy tears. "Just like ours."

* * *

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very Happy Christmas Eve to you all, Mazers! Welcome back, and thank you for reading part two of this Christmas story!
> 
> Like I indicated in the opening note, there are a few things here that relate to Book Two of the main story, coming up in the spring. However, don't let that distract you from this one! 
> 
> Any ideas as to what Clay and Justin are going to get each other for Christmas? If you read closely enough, there was a clue in here...
> 
> Ah, but the answer to that question, the return of some extended Jensen family members (Tank!!), Friendsmas, and more, will come tomorrow in the conclusion of this story! 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you for the kudos, comments, and feedback!
> 
> Stay tuned, Clay and Justin celebrate Christmas tomorrow! See you then for chapter three!


	3. Bless Us All...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Jensens and their extended family!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a specific warning, exactly, but the Jensens do attend church. That scene is presented for the context of the story, and not to promote any particular system of belief.
> 
> A big spoiler-ish detail for Book Two, in Spring 2019!
> 
> And if y'all don't have a good cry after reading this one, then I don't even know!
> 
> The songs quoted can be listened to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms0bGpv7zkg

 

 _It is the season of the heart_  
_A special time of caring_  
_The ways of love made clear_  
_It is the season of the spirit_  
_The message, if we hear it_  
_Is make it last all year_

\- from "It Feels Like Christmas," written by Paul Williams and as featured in "The Muppets Christmas Carol"

 

 

**Christmas Eve - Monday, December 24, 2018**

 

 "Scrooooooooge....."

Clay inhaled deeply and made little sleep noises, snuggling into the pillow more.

"Clay Scroooooooge....."

Waking up a little, he could feel hot breath on his ear. "This better be the Ghost of Letting Clay Sleep Longer," he muttered.

Laughing, Justin stood back up. "C'mon, bro! Time to get up! Six-thirty, we need to get going soon. Long day ahead of us!"

Making more noises, this time indicating he was trying to wake up, Clay slowly raised himself up and sat on the bed, and looked at Justin through half-open eyes. "Why are we doing this so early...."

"It's not _that_ early."

Groaning, Clay moved to his left, as if he was about to lay back down, when Justin came over and sat him back upright. "Ah! No, you don't. Start moving around, take a shower. Someone shouldn't have stayed up so late...."

"I like 'White Christmas,' I wanted to finish it." Yawning, Clay rubbed his eyes and stretched, and as he started to wake up more, could see his brother more clearly. "Are you...is that...you have a Santa hat on."

"Uh huh. It's Christmas, why not? OH! That reminds me! Hang on, be right back," Justin ran out of the room, while Clay stood up, slowly, and stumbled over to the dresser to start getting clothes for the day. His brother was only gone for about a minute, returning into the room with a big smile on his face.

"Here, this is for you," he said, handing over what he had gone back to retrieve.

Clay took the green felt hat with the bells, looked down at it, and then back up at Justin. "No."

"What? Oh, come on! It'll be awesome! I'll be Santa, and you can be my elf!"

"Okay, I just......you know? Just because you _can_ do something, doesn't mean you _should_. And why do you get to be Santa?"

"Because I'm the big brother. Come on, Clay. Please? Chris will love it, so will mom and the grandparents!"

"Justin..."

"Please?"

"It's bad enough mom wants me to wear the red and green sweater...

"Pretty please?"

"JJ..."

Justin now broke out his secret weapon. Puppy dog eyes. "Plllleeeaaassseeee?"

Rolling his own eyes, Clay surrendered. "Oh, all right! Okay. Fine. But you'd better not call me Buddy."

"I won't! Much."

Making a sound that was something between a groan and a growl, Clay trudged out to the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

Showered and dressed, Clay found Justin waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.

"What?"

"Put it on."

"Now?"

"Clay, come on..."

"I just did my hair!"

"Like anyone could tell."

Clay narrowed his eyes, but slowly put the elf hat on. "There. Happy?"

"Yes. Very."

Matt and Lainie came around the corner, hurriedly. "Come on, boys, we need to hit the road if we....oh." Matt paused as he looked at his sons. "You look....that's....I see that...."

"Adorable!" Lainie gushed happily. "Hang on, Matt, let me get a couple of pictures."

"....you're wearing hats." Matt finished.

"Yeah! Aren't they awesome?" Justin grinned.

"Sure, son."

Lainie had pulled out her phone and brought up the camera app.

"I knew this would happen," Clay said to himself. "One step lower than Justin, turn to the right a little, I know."

"Actually, Clay, since you're the elf, you need to be kneeling in front of Justin, and he can stand on the last step."

"Moommmmm....."

 

* * *

 

In order to allow each part of the extended family to have Christmas in their own homes in their own way, the grandparents had insisted back on Thanksgiving to split up Christmas Eve. Matt's parents, Frank and Lucy, took to the first "shift" so to speak, hosting breakfast for their sons. As Justin had predicted, their grandmother thought the Santa and elf hats were too cute and perfect for the day, and insisted that the boys keep them on. A large spread was laid out, and as she had done a few weeks earlier, Grandma Lucy made sure that plates were piled high.

"Clay, take another biscuit," she insisted. "Justin, that's not nearly enough bacon. You boys...your mother seriously needs to feed you more."

Clay leaned over and whispered to Justin. "All of this is going to make me sleepy again, and my head is starting to sweat."

"It'll be fine," Justin whispered back. "Drink some coffee and you can wash your hair again before we go to church tonight."

Luke sat next to his brother. "Did Lainie make them wear the hats?" he asked Matt.

"All Justin's idea. But she flipped over them, as you might expect."

"Better than matching sweaters, though. Remember? Mom made us wear those for years!"

"Don't let Lane hear you."

Lainie took her seat on the other side of her husband. "Too late. You haven't seen what I have for them tomorrow."

"Do you honestly think they'll want to wear matching sweaters?" Luke's wife, Hannah, asked.

"Justin will. And he'll wear Clay down," Lainie replied while spreading jam on a biscuit. "He always does."

Following breakfast and small talk over coffee, with Bing Crosby singing away in the background on the stereo - which, since they were LP's, Justin was amazed over - gifts were exchanged and opened. Two very important ones came from the grandparents. "When our sons turned eighteen," Grandpa Frank explained, "they got these. Now, I know you're not quite eighteen yet, Justin, but it's only a few months away, so your grandmother and I figured it would be all right to do this a little early regardless."

Clay and Justin opened boxes that contained matching silver watches. "These...they're just like the ones dad and Uncle Luke wear," Justin remarked in awe.

"Look on the reverse, dear," Grandma Lucy instructed.

Each had _C &J 2018 _inscribed on them. "Oh wow," Clay said.

"Just like ours, son." Matt took off his watch and showed the reverse to the boys: _M &L 1990_

Luke had joined them and stood next to his brother, wrapping a friendly arm around him. "Mine has 1992 on it, but nevertheless. It's a nice reminder that no matter where we are or what we're doing, all we have to do is look down at our wrists and remember that there's always one other person out there that knows us the best and will always be there for us. I get that right, dad?"

Frank nodded. "Couldn't put it better myself, Luke."

"No," Justin said to himself, as he looked at Clay putting his new watch on. "No, you couldn't."

 

* * *

 

 

"Put the hat back on, we're almost there."

Groaning, Clay dutifully put the elf hat back on his head. Next stop was Grandpa Charles and Grandma Sally, Lainie's parents, for a late lunch and the next round of gift giving.

"Now, remember," Clay said as they walked up to the house, "he really loves you."

"Chris? Yeah, I know. I hope he likes what we picked out for him."

"No, no....I don't mean Chris, I mean...."

As the front door opened, Tank galloped out and down the walk and tackled Justin into the grass. Fortunately, he wasn't carrying any of the presents, so no damage done. His Santa hat did come off though, and Clay bent down and picked it up.

"...Tank. Hi Tank!"

Tank looked at Clay and panted happily before turning back to slobber on and lick Justin. "Why didn't you warn me that the fur beast was going to be here?" he asked, eyes tightly shut, head turned to the side.

"I was going to. But then someone made me wear an elf hat," Clay smirked

"Uh huh. Help?"

"Clay!! Ju'tin!!" Chris excitedly ran outside, and Clay crouched down to hug and lift their cousin, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, buddy!"

"Little help here, bro..."

"No, you look like Buddy, Clay!" Chris laughed.

"Yeahhhh...yeah, I do. C'mon, let's go inside." He put Chris down and held his hand as they walked inside.

"Bro!"

"C'mon Tank, you can play with Justin later!" Clay called. Tank gave Justin one last big kiss and dutifully trotted off behind Clay.

"Oh my God, that dog...."

A repeat of breakfast took place, with Grandma Sally ensuring that the boys had far more than plenty on their plates. "Take another piece of fried chicken, Justin."

"Grandma, I've got two already, it's fine..." Justin laughed.

"One more piece won't hurt, you need to eat!" she instructed, placing another drumstick on top of a pile of mashed potatoes. "You're still far too skinny."

"She gave me four, count yourself lucky," Clay whispered.

"Why do I feel like we're going to explode by the time this day is over?" Justin whispered back as they went into the dining room.

"Who's idea was it to wear the hats?" Grandpa Charles laughed. "It couldn't have been you, Clay."

Aunt Jenny sat down next to Lainie. "Well, I think they look precious. John wouldn't let me get a small one for Chris to wear today, so I went with the sweater instead."

"I'll need to send you pictures tomorrow," Lainie said to her sister.

As gifts were exchanged after lunch, Justin sat on the floor, Chris in his lap, Tank next to him panting happily, which led to a round of pictures taken by his mother and aunt. Rolling his eyes after this was completed, he brought his head down to talk to Chris.

"Have you been a good boy this year? What do you think Santa is going to bring you?"

"He already did!"

"He did?"

"Uh huh! I got my Ju'tin from him," Chris turned and kissed Justin's cheek and went back to looking through the book he had received as one of his presents from Grandma Sally.

"Clay?" Justin asked in a soft, broken voice, slowly turning his head to look over at him.

One thing that Clay had learned over the last several months was just how emotional Justin could become at times, particularly when he or someone else had said or done something particularly nice for him. This holiday season especially had shown that, as evidenced by the placing of the little basketball player the evening before. Putting all of the ornaments on the tree almost lead to a little meltdown, and Justin had to excuse himself a couple of times. He had gotten used to it, though, and had long ago taken his brother's tearing up at times in stride. "Yeah...it's okay, I got you," he said nodding, having overheard, as had the adults, and scooted over on the floor closer to his brother. "Hey, how about you take a turn in my lap now, Chris? I think Justin needs to go potty."

"Okay!" Chris climbed up and into Clay's lap, and started to read a little to his cousin, who watched as Justin got up and quickly went to the bathroom to regain his composure, Tank following along. Once inside, he turned on the faucet and splashed some water onto his face, blinking away the tears that had formed from the sweetest thing he had probably ever heard in his life. Exhaling, he looked to his right and down at Tank, who had followed him in and sat patiently. Dogs, being the amazing creatures they are, can sense when something is wrong after all, and if a Newfoundland could look concerned, then Tank most certainly was right now.

"I'm okay," Justin said quietly as he crouched down and rubbed Tank's head. "Thanks for checking up on me though, you big Wookie. I love you, too."

Tank responded by giving Justin a big kiss.

 

* * *

 

That evening, after a - thankfully! - light dinner and getting cleaned up, it was off to church for the midnight mass. 

Over this last year, Justin had slowly become a little more comfortable with going to church, either with the family or on occasion his friends, Jess especially was always glad to have him come with her family on Sunday mornings, and this had gone some way in smoothing over a little more the relationship with Greg Davis. He had viewed this rather suspiciously at first, but after a few times, and seeing Justin's sincerity, he came to welcome his presence on those Sunday mornings. Justin knew he had finally made it when Greg had asked him to join the family for breakfast after services one morning. Granted, he quizzed Justin over what he thought of the minister's sermon that morning, and the meaning behind it, but it was a major step forward for both of them and their relationship.

Back in the spring, Lainie had gently brought up coming to church with them, and asked whether or not he had been baptized ( _he had been_ ) or had received any of the other sacraments ( _he had not_ ), and would he, at some point, want to. It was an awkward conversation, and Clay promptly excused himself from the kitchen table, suddenly needing to download a new program on his laptop.

It wasn't that he didn't believe - although, admittedly, there had been more than a few times over the last year that he questioned whether or not there was a God, and if there was, why did He allow all of the things that had happened to him personally and to his friends to occur. So, yes, he did believe in a higher power, and came to feel as though someone was watching over him up there, but he wanted to take this in steps, he had explained to his adopted mother, in time and, most importantly, on his terms. There was a great deal about the faith that he still did not quite understand, or all of the ins and outs of the services, but he was learning more every time he attended.

The midnight mass, Clay explained, was going to be a little different, and slightly longer, owing to the Nativity, and he promised to walk him through and explain things.

"Why are the lights so low?" Justin whispered as they found their places in one of the pews.

"It's because it isn't the twenty-fifth. Jesus hasn't been born yet," Clay whispered back.

"Oh, okay. That makes sense."

As they sat down and listened to the choir and the music, Clay reached into the pocket of his sport coat and pulled out his glasses.

"I didn't have time to put new contacts in, don't say anything."

"I wasn't going to. I told you I like them."

"You should wear yours more often."

"Eh."

As part of a very comprehensive physical at the start of the school year, which Lainie insisted on, it was discovered that Justin needed glasses - which helped explain, in part, some of his previous difficulty with school. Meanwhile, earlier in the summer, Clay discovered that he was having some trouble reading. His examination revealed that, probably owing to the concussion he suffered in the spring, he had gradually become a little far sighted. Thankfully, his prescription wasn't too strong.

So, two pairs of glasses, and more often than not contact lenses, had become a part of their lives.

At 11:57, the cantor made his way to the lectern, and the attendees stood.

"This is the Proclamation of Christmas," Clay explained. "It announces the birth of Jesus."

Justin nodded in reply as the cantor began to sing:

 

 _The Twenty-fifth Day of December,_  
  
_when ages beyond number had run their course_  
_from the creation of the world,_  
  
_when God in the beginning created heaven and earth,_  
_and formed man in his own likeness;_

 

Justin listened to the words, which placed the birth of Jesus within its historical context:

 

 _....in the twenty-first century since Abraham, our father in faith,_  
_came out of Ur of the Chaldees;_  
  
_in the thirteenth century since the People of Israel were led by Moses_  
_in the Exodus from Egypt;_  
  
_around the thousandth year since David was anointed King;_  
  
_in the sixty-fifth week of the prophecy of Daniel;_  
  
_in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;_  
  
_in the year seven hundred and fifty-two_  
_since the foundation of the City of Rome;_  
  
_in the forty-second year of the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus,_  
_the whole world being at peace..._

 

When he was finished, the lights in the church were turned up, and the organ began to play 'O Come, All Ye Faithful,' as the servers, readers and priests walked up the main aisle of the church towards the altar. Clay immediately recognized the priest who had presided at Hannah's memorial service, carrying a baby Jesus to be placed in the manger at the foot of the altar.

As he did every time, Justin took in the words and the music of the service. When it came time to exchange the sign of peace, rather than shaking hands with his family, he embraced each of them in turn, even giving Clay a discrete kiss on the cheek. The only part that he could not participate in was the reception of Communion, because he had not gone through the adult rites of education for it, and so he sat quietly with his hands folded as his parents and brother went up.

Mass ended at just past 1:30 that morning, and a very long but wonderful day had come to an end.

 

* * *

 

 **Christmas Morning, Tuesday, December 25, 2018** **  
**

"Scrooooooge...."

"Oh my God, Justin," Clay moaned, turning away from his brother and closer to the wall.

"It's eight o'clock! C'mon, get up! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas. Wake me up at ten," Clay muttered.

"Clay. I will bounce up and down on this bed if you don't get up."

"If you loved me you'd let me sleep."

Justin sat on the bed. "Mom and dad are waiting downstairs."

"Mmmph."

"They're making breakfast." Justin was now indeed bouncing a little.

"Mhmm."

"There's presents!" He was bouncing a little harder.

"JJ...."

"Get up!" Justin laughed, bouncing harder.

"All right, all right, I'm getting up, stop bouncing!"  Clay rolled back to the other side and glared at his brother. "Here. Me. Awake. Happy now?"

"Very," Justin grinned as he kissed the top of his brother's head. "Let's go!" He took Clay's arm and started to pull him up and out of bed.

"Okay, okay! Geez, I'm getting out of bed."

"Oh, here." Justin let go of Clay and went over to the desk and picked up a sweater he had brought in. "Mom wants you to wear this. See? It matches mine. Don't forget to wear your hat."

Clay's eyes were now wide open as he looked at what Justin was wearing. "Good God!"

"What? I like it, it's comfy. It's really soft, too."

"It's ugly as sin!"

The bright red sweater had a rather large reindeer emblazoned on it. "It is not! Come on, we'll look all Christmasy today!"

"I.....you know? I never used to have to do stuff like this before I had a brother."

Justin grinned again. "Isn't this awesome?"

"Wonderful," Clay said under his breath.

"I'll see you downstairs, don't take too long! And remember, don't forget...."

".....my hat, I know, I know."

 

* * *

 

To say Justin got a little spoiled for this first Christmas as a Jensen would be putting it mildly. There were all kinds of new clothes, phone accessories like a wireless charger, an LED lamp in the shape of a basketball, and much more besides. Clay smiled and took it all in stride, having long ago gotten over any kind of jealousy. 

Justin was especially proud of the gifts he chose for his parents, and how much they loved them - new steak knives and grill tools for Matt, a scarf and a gift box from Lush for Lainie. But the time had now come for the brothers to exchange their presents. As he had wanted, Clay finally got his Black Knight action figure, along with some books that he had mentioned he wanted, and a couple of shirts that Justin had picked out with some advice from Lainie. "I told you, your wardrobe needed some updating," he explained. Meanwhile, Justin was now the proud owner of _Red Dead Redemption 2_ , a couple of ties, and, some movies on Blu-ray.

But the time had come for their _special_ gifts to one another, and Clay went first.

"Okay....soooooo, I really hope you like this," he said, pulling a large wrapped gift out from behind the tree.

Justin opened a framed piece of art, a Clay Jensen original. It depicted Clay and Justin in the middle of the piece, and smaller images of their life together so far - the pleasant ones, although there were two hospital room images from a concussion and appendicitis -  around them. Their friends were depicted in various scenes, as were their parents and family. Even Tank. _CJ 2018_ was signed in the lower right corner, as if there would be any doubt as to who drew all of this.

"This is....oh, wow....this is so good," Justin said as he looked at it. "This must have taken you days to draw!"

"Weeks. I started after Halloween when I realized you needed some more things for your walls. You....like it?"

"I love it! Thank you, bro! My turn!"

He handed over the artwork to Matt and Lainie for them to look at, and he handed over a slightly heavy box to Clay.

"Do you remember when you told me about those superheroes that are brothers?" Justin asked as Clay tore off the paper.

"Oh....oh wow...."

What Clay had received was a statue of the DC characters Hawk and Dove. Created in the 1960s, Hank and Don Hall were total opposites - Hank, the impulsive, more hot-headed one, Don more thoughtful and reasoned. They had been imbued with superpowers, and while they didn't always agree on what kind of tactics or strategy to use, and they could argue quite a bit, the writers had always made it clear how much they loved and looked out for one another as they fought crime and protected the innocent.

"Justin....this is..."

"It's us. You're my hero, Clay. And I hope I'm yours also."

Putting the box on the living room table, Clay reached over and pulled Justin into a tight hug. "Of course you are. Even if you make me wear a stupid hat. I love you, JJ."

"I love you too, Clay."

 

* * *

 

Hey, you there?

_Again...where would I be otherwise?_

Right, right. I keep forgetting. Anyway...Merry Christmas!

_Merry Christmas to you, Clay! What did you get me?_

Umm.....

_As in, what are we having for dinner?_

Are you sure you really aren't Justin's Psyche...?

 

* * *

 

That night, following dinner, it was time for Friendsmas as the Jensens opened their home to members of the Deranged Over-Protective Scooby Gang once more, and gifts were exchanged while 'Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol' played in the background. Lainie had opened a bottle of wine and poured small glasses for all, even her sons who normally would have had to abstain for their own unique reasons. Clay and Justin discovered, much to their embarrassment and general hilarity among the group, that they had each purchased the exact same bracelets for Sheri and Jess, but each loved them regardless.

"Does this make us sisters or something now?" Jess asked Sheri.

"Probably, yes," she nodded in reply.

"If not future sisters-in-law," Cyrus added with a grin.

"Ummm...hey, come here," Clay said as he stood up and took Sheri's hand. "I've got one last gift for you, but it's....private...." He lead her out of the living room as a confused Justin leaned over to Tony.

"You know what it is?" he whispered.

Tony nodded and whispered close to Justin's ear. "Something from Victoria's Secret."

"Oh holy sh-....um....I mean, that's....wow, that was really awesome what your mom...got you, Tony. Yeah."

Matt and Lainie just looked at each other and shrugged, and went back to their conversation with Alex.

"I'm glad you like it," Clay said quietly as he held Sheri's hand and walked her back to the living room."

"I _love_ it...you never cease to surprise me, Clay Jensen. I'll have to sneak it in, but still."

"Well, I'm just full of surprises," Clay smiled, "what can I say....oh, hey! Wow, will you look at that?" He looked up at the entrance to the living room where some fake mistletoe had been hung. "Gee, I forgot that was there."

"Another surprise, huh? Like the elf hat? Totally cute, by the way."

"My idea!" Justin called from the room.

"Maybe," he grinned. "Love you, Princess."  He took her in his arms and kissed her in front of their friends and his family. This lead, naturally, to the other couples among them pairing up and doing the same, even Matt and Lainie. Zach looked over at Tony and smirked. "You know, big papi, Caleb isn't here, so...."

"Not on your life, Dempsey."

 

* * *

 

 

"Two down, one left to go," Clay said as he came into Justin's room. "New Years, and then the holidays are over."

"Yeah. I'm not sure how to top this, though." Justin was standing on his bed, straightening his new piece of art which he had placed next to the little wall hanging Clay bought him for his adoption day.

"Little to the left," Clay advised. "Yeah, there. Good. Well, you don't have to top it, you know? Just gotta remember what this day is all about and why."

"Oh, I will," Justin said as he stepped off the bed and came up to Clay. "But I'll always remember this Christmas. Always."

"Me too. Merry Christmas, Justin Jensen."

"Merry Christmas, Clay Jensen."

 

 _Well, I've met someone who touched my soul_  
_And made my world brand new_  
_There's part of me, a place inside_  
_That now belongs to you_  
  
_The love we found_  
_The love we found_  
_We carry with us_  
_So we're never quite alone_

  
_The love we found_  
_The love we found_  
_The sweetest dream that we have ever known_  
_The love we found_  
_The love we found_

  
_We carry with us_  
_So we're never quite alone_

\- "When Love Is Found," written by Paul Williams, and as featured in "The Muppet Christmas Carol"

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Merry Christmas, Mazers!!!!
> 
> Thank you all so very much for the gift you all have given me this year - allowing me to create this little world and Mazeverse of mine, and hopefully in some small way entertaining you through my writing. I hope your Christmas Day has been full of warmth and love and the joy of the day. 
> 
> I also hope you enjoyed this story. I enjoyed writing it for you all so much, and consider it my gift to all of you. 
> 
> Be on the lookout for a New Years story to complete this little holiday trilogy, as well as some new chapters and stories in the days and weeks ahead!
> 
> Thank you so much as always for the kudos, your comments, and feedback! Stay tuned, Clay and Justin will return, very soon!
> 
> And, as Tiny Tim did observe....God Bless Us, Every One!


End file.
